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Local kinematics of K and M giants from CORAVEL/Hipparcos/Tycho-2 data. Revisiting the concept of superclustersThe availability of the Hipparcos Catalogue has triggered many kinematicand dynamical studies of the solar neighbourhood. Nevertheless, thosestudies generally lacked the third component of the space velocities,i.e., the radial velocities. This work presents the kinematic analysisof 5952 K and 739 M giants in the solar neighbourhood which includes forthe first time radial velocity data from a large survey performed withthe CORAVEL spectrovelocimeter. It also uses proper motions from theTycho-2 catalogue, which are expected to be more accurate than theHipparcos ones. An important by-product of this study is the observedfraction of only 5.7% of spectroscopic binaries among M giants ascompared to 13.7% for K giants. After excluding the binaries for whichno center-of-mass velocity could be estimated, 5311 K and 719 M giantsremain in the final sample. The UV-plane constructed from these datafor the stars with precise parallaxes (σπ/π&leq;20%) reveals a rich small-scale structure, with several clumpscorresponding to the Hercules stream, the Sirius moving group, and theHyades and Pleiades superclusters. A maximum-likelihood method, based ona Bayesian approach, has been applied to the data, in order to make fulluse of all the available stars (not only those with precise parallaxes)and to derive the kinematic properties of these subgroups. Isochrones inthe Hertzsprung-Russell diagram reveal a very wide range of ages forstars belonging to these groups. These groups are most probably relatedto the dynamical perturbation by transient spiral waves (as recentlymodelled by De Simone et al. \cite{Simone2004}) rather than to clusterremnants. A possible explanation for the presence of younggroup/clusters in the same area of the UV-plane is that they have beenput there by the spiral wave associated with their formation, while thekinematics of the older stars of our sample has also been disturbed bythe same wave. The emerging picture is thus one of dynamical streamspervading the solar neighbourhood and travelling in the Galaxy withsimilar space velocities. The term dynamical stream is more appropriatethan the traditional term supercluster since it involves stars ofdifferent ages, not born at the same place nor at the same time. Theposition of those streams in the UV-plane is responsible for the vertexdeviation of 16.2o ± 5.6o for the wholesample. Our study suggests that the vertex deviation for youngerpopulations could have the same dynamical origin. The underlyingvelocity ellipsoid, extracted by the maximum-likelihood method afterremoval of the streams, is not centered on the value commonly acceptedfor the radial antisolar motion: it is centered on < U > =-2.78±1.07 km s-1. However, the full data set(including the various streams) does yield the usual value for theradial solar motion, when properly accounting for the biases inherent tothis kind of analysis (namely, < U > = -10.25±0.15 kms-1). This discrepancy clearly raises the essential questionof how to derive the solar motion in the presence of dynamicalperturbations altering the kinematics of the solar neighbourhood: doesthere exist in the solar neighbourhood a subset of stars having no netradial motion which can be used as a reference against which to measurethe solar motion?Based on observations performed at the Swiss 1m-telescope at OHP,France, and on data from the ESA Hipparcos astrometry satellite.Full Table \ref{taba1} is only available in electronic form at the CDSvia anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/430/165}

A Strategy for Identifying the Grid Stars for the Space Interferometry MissionWe present a strategy to identify several thousand stars that areastrometrically stable at the microarcsecond level for use in the SpaceInterferometry Mission (SIM) astrometric grid. The requirements on thegrid stars make this a rather challenging task. Taking a variety ofconsiderations into account, we argue for K giants as the best type ofstars for the grid, mainly because they can be located at much largerdistances than any other type of star owing to their intrinsicbrightness. We show that it is possible to identify suitable candidategrid K giants from existing astrometric catalogs. However, double starshave to be eliminated from these candidate grid samples, since theygenerally produce much larger astrometric jitter than tolerable for thegrid. The most efficient way to achieve this is probably by means of aradial velocity survey. To demonstrate the feasibility of this approach,we repeatedly measured the radial velocities for a preselected sample of86 nearby Hipparcos K giants with precisions of 5-8 m s-1.The distribution of the intrinsic radial velocity variations for thebona fide single K giants shows a maximum around 20 m s-1,which is small enough not to severely affect the identification ofstellar companions around other K giants. We use the results of ourobservations as input parameters for Monte Carlo simulations on thepossible design of a radial velocity survey of all grid stars. Ourfavored scenario would result in a grid which consists to 68% of truesingle stars and to 32% of double or multiple stars with periods mostlylarger than 200 years, but only 3.6% of all grid stars would displayastrometric jitter larger than 1 μas. This contamination level isprobably tolerable.

The photoelectric astrolabe catalogue of Yunnan Observatory (YPAC).The positions of 53 FK5, 70 FK5 Extension and 486 GC stars are given forthe equator and equinox J2000.0 and for the mean observation epoch ofeach star. They are determined with the photoelectric astrolabe ofYunnan Observatory. The internal mean errors in right ascension anddeclination are +/- 0.046" and +/- 0.059", respectively. The meanobservation epoch is 1989.51.

Vitesses radiales. Catalogue WEB: Wilson Evans Batten. Subtittle: Radial velocities: The Wilson-Evans-Batten catalogue.We give a common version of the two catalogues of Mean Radial Velocitiesby Wilson (1963) and Evans (1978) to which we have added the catalogueof spectroscopic binary systems (Batten et al. 1989). For each star,when possible, we give: 1) an acronym to enter SIMBAD (Set ofIdentifications Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data) ofthe CDS (Centre de Donnees Astronomiques de Strasbourg). 2) the numberHIC of the HIPPARCOS catalogue (Turon 1992). 3) the CCDM number(Catalogue des Composantes des etoiles Doubles et Multiples) byDommanget & Nys (1994). For the cluster stars, a precise study hasbeen done, on the identificator numbers. Numerous remarks point out theproblems we have had to deal with.

An improved metal abundance calibration for the Washington systemThe determination of metal abundances for individual giants fromWashington photometry is revised, with several significant improvementsincorporated. The solar-abundance two-color relations are revamped withthe inclusion of new observations of a large sample of solar-abundancegiants with small reddenings, especially those with late-K spectraltypes. The new relations are very similar to the original ones derivedin C76 except for a zero-point offset. A new temperature index, M-T2, isinvestigated, as well as a new abundance index, C-T1, in addition to thestandard indices. The M-T2 index has a much broader baseline and thus amuch larger range than T1-T2, and is therefore less susceptible tophotometric errors. The significant decrease in abundance sensitivityfor cooler stars, suspected by previous investigations, is confirmed byincluding observations of a number of giants with a range in temperaturein each of a large sample of open and globular clusters. A procedure forcorrecting the abundance indices for cool stars is derived whichsignificantly improves the metallicity determination.

Narrow-band photometry of late-type stars. IIThis paper presents extensive narrow-band photometry in the Uppsalasystem supplementing earlier published mesurements so that data now areavailable for all late-type stars brighter than V = 6.05 and a number ofgalactic cluster members. Numerous UBV and BV measurements are alsopublished. The data are used to determine relations for the predictionof UBV intrinsic colors for late-type stars from the narrow-bandmeasurements. The main purpose of the data is to constitute the basisfor the determination of solar-neighborhood space densities of late-typestars, mainly giants of different kinds; these space densities will becombined with narrow-band data for fainter stars in the north Galacticpole region to yield the decrease of space density with distance fromthe galactic plane for many kinds of late-type stars.

Radial velocities of standard starsRadial-velocity observations obtained over a five-year period with theMcDonald Observatory photoelectric radial-velocity spectrometer arereported for those stars not known to be velocity variable. There are259 stars included in the 1650 observations of the spectral type rangeF0 to M0 and brighter than a V of 6.5 mag. For the best-observed 134stars, the standard error of the mean velocity is typically better than+ or - 0.9 km/s. Sixteen stars are shown to be constant to a sufficientlevel to warrant standard-star status. Six possible spectroscopicbinaries are found.

E. W. Fick Observatory stellar radial velocity measurements. I - 1976-1984Stellar radial velocity observations made with the large vacuumhigh-dispersion photoelectric radial velocity spectrometer at FickObservatory are reported. This includes nearly 2000 late-type starsobserved during 585 nights. Gradual modifications to this instrumentover its first eight years of operation have reduced the observationalerror for high-quality dip observations to + or - 0.8 km/s.

Radial-velocity standard starsThe paper reports the results of applying an iterative procedure devisedto establish a set of velocity standard stars for monitoring thebehavior of the Fick Observatory photoelectric radial-velocityspectrometer. Data obtained during the first three years of observationwith this instrument are used to select a set of 200 velocity standardstars brighter than 7th magnitude of spectral types from late F to earlyM. All velocities have been reduced to the Fick Observatory system.